It's a Boy!

Walter Daniel Stinehelfer was born this morning at 10:36am weighing in at 7 lb 6 oz and just shy of 21 inches long. He looks great! Currently sleeping. Mom is good - pictures below!

Baby Three - What will you be?

As many of you know we like to beat ourselves up and not know the gender of our kids until they are born. Same kind of scenario for names - right now we have Eleanor and Walter as front runners, but no promises.
It is funny, but Henry and Claudia both want a girl baby and are pretty firm about it.
The other night Henry said I really hope the baby is a girl and I said that even if it is a boy we will still love him. Henry said - I really want it to be a girl. No concessions there - I tried.
Then this morning I asked Claudia what the baby should be named and she said Eleanor. I said if it is a boy it will be Walter. Walter, she said, no, it will be Eleanor.
We'll see how far this whole "mother's instinct" thing works out for me.

A kid by any other name

Henry talks about wanting to be a grown-up more than I would expect at the ripe old age of four. He sometimes says how he wishes he weren't a kid which is sad to me, but I know I had the same thoughts. Anyway, he and I were riding back from school the other day and had this conversation.
H: Henry and Claudia are not grown-up names. They are kids' names.
R: They are kid names now when you are kids and they will be your grown-up names when you are grown-ups.
H: Can I change my name when I'm a grown-up.
R: Yes - you can. What would you change it to?
H: (thinking) Josh.
R: Wow - like your uncle.
H: Yes.
R: Is that a grown-up name?
H: Yes.
R: What should Claudia's name be?
H:(more thinking) Rachel

Counting Down

Just 25 days until the baby's due date. All my doctors visits have gone well and the baby has assumed the correct head down position. Now ... it is like watching water boil. Once there is news it will definitely be posted here and probably facebook too! Wish us luck! And for those sports fans out there - yes, soon we will be playing zone.

Happy and Messy Kids

We are settling into our new home and really enjoying it. MOST of the boxes are unpacked. Danny and his mom have been painting away and the nursery is just about the last room to finish - just in time! 6 weeks and COUNTING! We have been really busy but found time to go to the zoo and Henry and I went strawberry picking with his class. Fun times!

We are lame

I have no real post, I have no pictures. We are officially lame.

Our quick updates:
Claudia is a singer and is a true 2 year old and becoming more willful everyday - "Me do it!"
Henry is a super 4 year old and really enjoying school
Danny is finishing his last month of pharmacy school and has a job at Forsyth Hospital starting mid-May
Rachel is still pregnant - it takes longer to grow the third one, trust me
We are moving into a house in Winston in early May - yay! - two and a half times the size of the one in Durham - echo, echo, echo

All the news that's fit to print!

Henry, the bird savant

Henry has an amazing knack of identifying all sorts of birds. The boy loves birds! We do have lots of bird books, but I am totally amazed by his memory for birds. We also have several feeders in the yard and he can name pretty much every type of bird that comes to the feeders. The other day he was looking through a bird ID book and was pointing out herons, egrets and then really surprised me and pointed to the cormorant. Wow - he is good!

Me, Claudia

Claudia's vocabulary and sense of self is moving right along.
Whenever she has done or will do something she says: Me, Claudia.

R: Who spilled juice all over the floor?
C: Me, Claudia (and pats chest)

D: Who's gonna give Daddy a kiss?
C: Me, Claudia (smooch)